The present invention relates generally to a time card and a time recorder system, and more particularly to a time card and a time recorder system for reading an ID from the time card, storing working information read from the time card in a memory corresponding to the ID, and printing the working information to the time card.
In a time recorder system, a time recorder generally stores working data in the form of attendance and leaving data and information, and prints the attendance and leaving information to a time card based on an ID read from the time card.
As is shown in FIG. 17, a prior art time card TC is provided with printing position reference marks 50A, 50B and 50C, card identifying codes 51 and 52, and marks 51H and 52H arranged along a card inserting direction of the recorder and in a side edge of the time recorder. In accordance with the prior art time recorder system, a mark detecting sensor of the time recorder reads. the ones-unit digit number from the mark 51H, after reading the reference mark 50A, and then reads the tens-unit digit number from the mark 52H after reading the reference mark 50B. The time recorder recognizes as a card identifying code (ID code) the combination of the ones-unit digit and tens-unit digit number. Thereafter, the attendance and leaving information are stored in the memory and are printed on the time card.
In the prior art time recorder system however, each of the column codes 51H and 52H of the time card TC are arranged along a lengthwise direction of the time card. In order to read, in turn, the information of columns 51H and 52H, the time card TC must be inserted in to the time recorder toward the lengthwise direction of the time card. Thereby, a long time interval for one printing operation is required to print out the information. Also, the size of the time recorder has to be large in the lengthwise direction to accommodate the time card and the plotting time is long.
In short, in the above mentioned prior art time recorder system, there is the drawback that the printing time interval is long. Also, a housing of the time recorder TC must be manufactured to house a time card, because the time card is inserted in the lengthwise direction. The various kinds of codes 51H and 52H and the like are read during the forward direction movement of the card, the attendance or leaving data are printed once the card feeding is stopped, and the time card TC is fed back toward the entry of the time recorder.
Moreover, a significant drawback of the prior art time recorder systems is that the time recorder system can only combine the ones-unit digit number code and the tens-unit digit code at most. Therefore, the available number of personnel time cards is limited to ninety-nine.
It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide a time card that can employ a large number of ID codes. It is another object of the invention to provide a time recorder system which makes the processing speed fast and uses a small sized time recorder. It is a further object of the invention to provide a time recorder that reads and prints during movement of the time card toward an inserting direction.
To achieve the above described objects, according to the present invention, a time card includes an ID for identifying a card and a printing column for printing working data. The time card comprises a dividing means for dividing the ID into at least two portions, a positioning means for positioning the divided ID parallel to both the front and rear faces of the time card or both the right and left side edges of the time card.
Therefore, a number of ID codes can be fabricated by dividing one ID code, by arranging the divided ID codes, and by positioning the divided ID code parallel to both the front and rear faces of the time card or both the right and left side edges of the time card.
The ID mark divided into at least two portions and positioned parallel to both the front and rear faces of the time card or the right and left side edges comprises a most significant digit numeric value and a least significant digit numeric value, or a character sign. The ID is identified by combining the most significant digit and the least significant digit.
Accordingly, it is possible for a number of persons to use one time recorder, by dividing a code number such as xe2x80x9c3412xe2x80x9d into xe2x80x9c34xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9c12xe2x80x9d and arranging the divided code numbers on the front and rear faces or right and left sides, respectively.
Further, the divided ID mark may comprise a binary number. Therefore, it is possible for a number of persons to use one time recorder by dividing the ID into a number of ID codes and by combining the divided ID codes.
Front and rear face reading marks of the card are arranged at a near side of a lower end of the time card. One of the divided ID marks, having the binary number, is arranged at an upper position of the card front face and rear face reading marks. A printing column position reference mark corresponds to an employee number, a sixteenth column, and fifteenth column and the like.
Accordingly, the printing precision is improved in a card printing row, where the function for guiding does not fully perform with respect to the inserted time card. This is accomplished by arranging the card face deciding marks, for dividing the front face or the rear face, and by arranging a plurality of printing column position reference marks in the upper side thereof.
The card front face and rear face reading marks of the divided ID marks are arranged on the time card such that the respective card front face and rear face reading marks are located in a closed condition, without a gap. Therefore, it is possible to make the reading time duration preferably short.
The ID mark on the time card comprises a printed or recorded bar code that is arranged along a card inserting direction. Accordingly, providing redundant space on the time card is unnecessary, and more space is available. The divided ID is printed or recorded at the side edge portion of the time card, where the printing column is not printed. Thereby, more time card space is available. Reading of the ID can be correctly performed by means of formatting the reading means of each ID mark with the binary number.
A time recorder system in accordance with the present invention includes an identifying means for confirming an ID recorded on a time card; a recording means for storing working information, such as a current time and the like to a memory corresponding to the ID; and printing means for printing the ID to a printing column of the time card. The time recorder system also comprises a reading means for reading an ID, divided into at least two portions and arranged serially at a front face and a rear face of the time card, and an ID reading means for reading the divided ID as one ID, by combining the divided ID read such that the divided ID are read by the font face and rear face reading means. Therefore, the reading of the ID can be carried out within a short time interval and the size of the time card is miniaturized, since one ID is divided into a plurality of ID codes and the plural ID codes are interpreted by their combination.
According to the present invention, in a time recorder system including an identifying means for confirming an ID recorded on a time card, a recording means for storing a working information, such as a current time and the like to a memory corresponding to the ID, and printing means for printing the ID to a printing column of the time card, the time recorder system comprises two reading means for reading an ID divided into at least two portions and arranged serially at one side of the time card. An ID reading means interprets the divided ID as one ID by combining the divided ID read by the two reading means. Therefore, the reading of the ID can be carried out within a short time interval and the size of the time recorder is miniaturized, since one ID is divided into a plurality of ID codes and the plural ID codes are interpreted by combining them.
A time recorder system may further comprise a means for reading the front face and rear face deciding mark, one ID mark and a printing column control mark, by means of one reading means out of the front face reading means and the rear face reading means. A reading means for reading the other divided ID mark, divided by the other reading means, is arranged on the other side edge portion by the other reading means, such that the reading by the one reading means is executed simultaneously with the other reading means.
Accordingly, it is possible to read accurately during the deciding operation, the feed timing of the time card and the read timing, by means of reading the card front and rear face marks, a printing column control mark, and the one divided ID mark. Also, the reading time interval for combining the divided IDs is made short, since the reading of the each mark is executed simultaneously by the one reading means and the other reading means.
Reading of the ID divided mark and printing of the working information by the reading means are performed in the course of the time card""s insertion movement.
It is possible to read the divided ID codes within a short time interval and to print the working data, such as the current time and the like, to the printing column in the course of inserting the time card in addition to reading the ID codes. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a time recorder system which speeds up the processing operation by shortening the time interval required for one printing operation, in comparison with the prior art time recorder system.